Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Qinhuangdao

For one person, living is cheaper in Qinhuangdao: $714 a month against $2,698 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Qinhuangdao
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Qinhuangdao Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,698

/mo nomad

Qinhuangdao

🇨🇳 China

$714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Qinhuangdao

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Qinhuangdao actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,698 in Austin, TX versus $714 in Qinhuangdao.

Austin, TX $2,698
Qinhuangdao $714

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,160 in Austin, TX versus $1,135 in Qinhuangdao.

Austin, TX $4,160
Qinhuangdao $1,135

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,622 in Austin, TX versus $1,556 in Qinhuangdao.

Austin, TX $5,622
Qinhuangdao $1,556

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 278% more expensive than in Qinhuangdao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 99% above, Qinhuangdao is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.63 $20.63

$2.76 ¥18.44

647.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$21.79 ¥146

288.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.07 $12.07

$4.88 ¥32.64

147.34%

Cappuccino

$5.48 $5.48

$3.04 ¥20.33

80.26%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 $3.80

$0.47 ¥3.13

708.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.27 ¥1.79

814.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$0.92 ¥6.18

775.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.88 $8.88

$2.13 ¥14.24

316.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 $1.11

$1.85 ¥12.37

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.55 ¥10.38

140.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.37 $3.37

$0.89 ¥5.94

278.65%

Eggs

$4.32 $4.32

$1.53 ¥10.25

182.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.13 $13.13

$13.05 ¥87.3

0.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.15 $14.15

$3.11 ¥20.80

354.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.33 $16.33

$10.33 ¥69.1

58.08%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 $4.55

$1.87 ¥12.52

143.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.25 ¥8.36

16.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 $4.71

$1.47 ¥9.82

220.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 $4.15

$1.15 ¥7.66

260.87%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.73 ¥4.90

253.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.95 ¥6.36

147.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.60 ¥4.01

195.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.51 ¥3.42

319.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.10 $10.10

$3.05 ¥20.41

231.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.19 $15.19

$10.69 ¥71.5

42.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.82 $2.82

$0.79 ¥5.28

256.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 $3.44

$1.64 ¥10.94

109.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 $1.54

$0.27 ¥1.79

470.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.99 $40.99

$16.97 ¥113

141.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.42 ¥9.52

97.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 $1.60

$0.33 ¥2.19

384.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.34 $34.34

$6.62 ¥44.23

418.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.14 ¥7.61

-17.54%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$34.0K $34.0K

$19.2K ¥128.4K

76.95%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.8K $26.8K

$17.1K ¥114.3K

56.53%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$223 $223

$44.64 ¥298

398.77%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.9 $58.9

$9.87 ¥66.0

496.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.6 $70.6

$11.90 ¥79.5

493.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 $57.7

$42.14 ¥282

36.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.53 $16.53

$14.09 ¥94.2

17.32%

Cinema Ticket

$14.26 $14.26

$5.79 ¥38.72

146.29%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,511 $1,511

$337 ¥2,254

348.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K $20.9K

$17.2K ¥114.7K

21.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 $51.3

$44.18 ¥295

16.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.17 $44.17

$30.35 ¥203

45.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 $87.0

$71.8 ¥480

21.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 $104

$70.6 ¥472

47.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,940 $1,940

$276 ¥1,843

603.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$191 ¥1,277

588.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$601 ¥4,016

510.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$362 ¥2,423

607.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,354 $7,354

$3,063 ¥20.5K

140.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 $3,129

$2,068 ¥13.8K

51.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,286 $5,286

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

3.89

74.55%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 19, 2026

Last update for Qinhuangdao: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.8%

Qinhuangdao

$191 26.8% 85.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$406 15.1%

Qinhuangdao

$199 27.9% 51% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$352 13.1%

Qinhuangdao

$66 9.3% 81.1% $286

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$350 13%

Qinhuangdao

$85 11.9% 75.7% $265

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.8%

Qinhuangdao

$98 13.7% 24.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Qinhuangdao

$54 7.5% 37.7% $32

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$58 2.2%

Qinhuangdao

$21 3% 63.6% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,940 in Austin, TX and $276 in Qinhuangdao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $22.00 in Qinhuangdao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $406 vs $199 per month, with Qinhuangdao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇨🇳 Qinhuangdao

🕒 Local time

03:51 3:51 AM

16:51 4:51 PM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

2,987,605

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

CNY to USD in detail →

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Austin, TX Qinhuangdao 11,310 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Qinhuangdao

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Qinhuangdao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qinhuangdao wins on cost – living expenses run 278% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Qinhuangdao the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,046 in Austin, TX and $1,071 in Qinhuangdao to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,940 in Austin, TX versus $276 in Qinhuangdao. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,698 per month in Austin, TX versus $714 in Qinhuangdao – a 278% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Qinhuangdao runs roughly 142% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $714 in Qinhuangdao versus $2,698 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Qinhuangdao but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Qinhuangdao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Qinhuangdao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 278% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.